Poland’s constitutional court chief suspended amid escalating judicial standoff between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the opposition

Police cordoned off Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal building on the evening of October 30, the Associated Press reported.The move came after the court’s website announced that the tribunal’s president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy had been suspended, and a crowd of protesters began gathering outside the building.Commenting on Święczkowski’s suspension, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that “restoring the rule of law is a process that requires decisive action.” Święczkowski’s suspended deputy and opposition politicians called the events a “coup.”As events unfolded at the Constitutional Tribunal, Polish President Karol Nawrocki cut short a visit to Senegal and said he was returning to Poland.The conflict over the Constitutional Tribunal between Tusk’s government and the opposition Law and Justice party, which held power until 2023, has been going on for several months. It began when Nawrocki, who is backed by Law and Justice, refused to swear in three new judges elected by the new parliament.Tusk and his government refuse to recognize the tribunal’s legitimacy because judges appointed under Law and Justice remain on the court.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.